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Play… it’s not just for kids!

Posted on 2015-05-20 at 8:55 am.

Today’s post is written by our Senior Editor, Rachel Kempton.

A few weeks ago I took my little boy, Zack, to Philadelphia. He’s toddling now and he was in his element in the airport ‘helping’ us steer the luggage trolley, pointing out the big aeroplanes and playing peekaboo with the little boy he’d befriended. To him every part of the experience was an adventure; an opportunity to play, to have fun and to learn. As I watched Zack climb onto his Gruffalo suitcase and squeal with joy as my husband pulled him along at lightning speed, a sweet lady smiled at me and said: “children have all the fun don’t they?!” Her words rang so true. As grown ups we’re so busy dashing from one thing to the next, juggling the endless responsibilities that come with work, family life and social commitments, that it’s easy to lose the sense of fun and freedom we had when we were young.

We know that play is vitally important for children, but it’s just as important for adults too. According to contemporary American psychiatrist Stuart Brown: “Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities.”

[Tweet “”If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right.” ~ Bob Basso”]

When you really stop and think about it, play is just an attitude. An option. A decision you make every time you do anything. Life really can be lighter and more fun if you choose to make it that way. If life has become one big routine for you, or if you find that your days lack joy and laughter, it could be time to change your attitude.

Need some inspiration? Here are our top 10 tips for living life in the fun lane…

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10 things I learnt leading a co-working tribe in Bali

Posted on 2015-05-19 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by Ben Keene. You can find out more about Ben here.

My nose is running. My sun-tan is already fading. I’m even shivering a little. Its not mid-winter but spring in England and British Summer Time has just kicked-in. So why the doldrums? Well, I’ve just got back from three months of fun and fulfilment in Bali piloting a new Tribewanted project focusing on co-working. I’ve learnt post-tribe fatigue is inevitable. I’ll be back in the game shortly.

So, in this moment between tribes (I’m back at The Escape School next week) — what did I learn?

1. Check-ins are the superglue

At least 4 times a week we would meet at Hubud and ask 2 questions to everyone:

What are you getting done today?

How can we help?

The simplicity and regularity of these sessions helped us take small steps forward daily and accelerate towards our goals.

2. Location. Location. Location.

I knew from my research that Bali, and Ubud especially, would be a good destination for coworking and startup inspiration but my expectations were smashed.

Bali’s spiritual, creative, natural culture is powerfully seductive — you can’t help but be wrapped up in its glow. This layered onto a canvas of volcanos, ocean, reefs and the bright green quilt of paddy fields and its popularity is unsurprising.

My daily commute cycling through Ubud monkey forest in the early heat, hopping round cafes for meetups, into galleries for inspiration, hiking through paddy fields, disappearing into bamboo paradises and the endless swimming opportunities meant that you couldn’t not feel energised. The challenge is fitting everything in — life was full in Ubud (I didn’t even make it to ‘ecstatic dance’).

3. Sunshine (and thunderstorms) are caffeine for the soul

The island climate at this time of year is dramatic — one minute intense heat, the next a monsoon. At night cracks of thunder that would crack into the core of your being. I found the drama of the weather an energizer. Bugs aside, there’s nothing like a tropical rainstorm to awaken your senses and reflect on what you’re doing. You can’t detach your work from the natural environment in somewhere like Bali and that’s a very good thing.

4. Give and you shall grow (pay it forward without expectation)

We did a lot of skill sharing. I can’t think of an occassion when this didn’t build stronger relationships and increase impact. We planned to split our time 50% (our projects) 25% (each others projects), 25% exploring Bali. With this mindset I saw a lot of people supporting each other with no questions asked about ‘how much time’ or ‘will I get it back.’

5. Tools rule

Whatsapp is our watercooler (we’ll get to ‘Slack’ at some-point), we gather round it to share our meetup plans, pictures, jokes and rapid feedback.

Strikingly is our ideas accelerator — the difference between people talking about their ideas before they visualised them was always obvious.

I watched Loretta, a consumate international development professional unleash her inner entrepreneurial creativity once she got a handle on a couple of tools and the permission to go wild with them — now, she’s an ideas machine.

6. My weakness is your strength. Baby.

Tommy: Young travel blogger taught himself how to build a following and engagement on instagram and then shared his lessons with us. In under a week he had become the ‘instagram’ expert.

Philippa: Teacher and novelist shared her creative writing tips and in return was motivated by the tribe to churn out her novel.

Bob: Corporate HR guy turned ethical recruitment missionpreneur shared his hiring tips and gained feedback on how to keep it lean.

7. Random acts of storytelling are exactly what you were looking for

Every Thursday we invite a guest to share their story with us. These included:

Vlatko: How (and why) I spent 6 years filming the Croatian coastline.

Kadek: Why I started Yoga Barn and the Bali Spirit Festival

Eiji: What I learnt making ‘The Happy Movie’

These might seem like irrelevant interruptions in our busy schedules, but often we found these fresh perspectives and inspiring stories would reinforce or shift our thinking around what we were doing.

8. Feedback in the tribe is rapid (and crucial)

Lisa: ‘So I’ve spent all night thinking about changing the name and brand to ‘your news assistant’. What do you think?’

Tribe: ‘But we love ‘Newspresso — your shot of daily news.’

Lisa: ‘Really?’

Tribe: ‘Yes!’

Lisa: ‘Ok, Newspresso it is!’

9. Not everyday is perfect. Even in Bali.

I’ve been to enough islands to know that paradise is a state of mind and not a perfect place. Bali is a handmade society, still struggling with corruption, traffic, pollution, rampant tourism, poverty, climate change and more. It looks perfect on the surface — this is what makes it a great holiday destination.

But when you’ve come to explore your future career or kickstart your business idea, there are days when the wifi is too slow, the bugs bite too much and, yes, when its just ‘too hot.’

This is when your tribe matter the most — they pick you up, remind you why this decision was a good one and that you’re not on your own (even if most people ‘back home’ think your in paradise).

Our Chief Experience Officer, Gusti Badra

10. Mindsets shift through community

This is something that Rob from The Escape School (my next tribe) said to me. It resonates perfectly. For all of us in the ‘behaviour change’ game we know that the key to making a positive and sustainable impact on someone is by connecting them meaningfully with others who share their outlook, intention and values.

If we can build a community — a tribe — around things that matter to people, then minds and behaviour will shift. Its a huge lesson and one that is becoming clearer by the day.

Thank you to my tribe buddies from Bali for leaping into the unknown and sharpening this conviction for me. Loretta says it best: [Tweet “A Tribe is a powerful thing.”] Being part of this one is an experience I’ll never forget!

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Tribewanted Startups Bali in numbers (so far):

In numbers… 45 tribe members. 60 ‘check-in’s. 62 new ideas (in one night). 3 volcanoes climbed (in one day). 30+ strikingly pages. 4000+ juices. 1000+downward facing dogs. An unlimited amount of hugs…

Meanwhile, just beyond the monkey forest, the adventure continues.

How can you improve the world today?

Posted on 2015-05-15 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

We can all contribute to making this world a safer, happier and more joyful place by being more mindful of our thoughts and actions and living our lives to the best of our ability. When we recognise the positive impact that we have on others’ lives, and that they have on ours, the world becomes a brighter place.

It really is the little things we do on a daily basis that can have the greatest impact. So start today and be the change you wish to see in the world. Need inspiration? Here are 10 ways you can make the world a better place today…

1. Be happy! If every single person was happy, or truly cared about making themselves happy, the world would be a much happier place!

2. Find a cause or mission you are passionate about and get involved.

3. Teach your children about eating healthily and exercising to prevent chronic disease.

4. Plant a tree, a flower, a plant… the earth needs more greenery and we all benefit from it.

5. Walk or ride a bicycle to work – keep fit and do your bit for the environment.

6. Donate and help others – your time, money, clothes, books, food, organs – whatever you can. You could even give the gift of life by signing up to become an organ donor.

7. Surprise a loved one – it doesn’t matter whether it’s your child, partner, parent or even your dog – make someone feel special.

8. Buy products that reflect your values, like Free Range, organic, Fairtrade, etc.

9. Call or visit someone who is lonely or sick.

10. Carry out a random act of kindness: send someone a kind message; give a small gift; make something for someone; or tell someone how much they mean to you. There are so many ways to brighten someone’s day.

Remember that our thoughts become our actions and the sum of our actions becomes the lives that we lead. What will you do to improve the world today?

Boost your creative power with The Little Beach Hut of Dreams

Posted on 2015-05-13 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

UPDATE: The Little Beach Hut of Dreams has been sold as we no longer live in Brighton and only residents are permitted to own beach huts there. This post has been archived for reference but we are no longer accepting applications for Dreamer-in-Residence. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Dreamers-in-Residence for being part of our adventure, and to Towergate Insurance for awarding The Little Beach Hut of Dreams runner up position in Beach Hut of the Year 2015. She was very proud!

Whatever you do for a living, or in your free time, creativity is an important part of life. As human beings we all need to find a way to express ourselves in order to feel fulfilled. But as Erwin Raphael McManus wisely said: “True creativity does not come easy; creativity is born of risk and refined from failure.” Whether you’re making music or art, writing books or poetry, taking photographs or designing the next big thing, creative blocks happen to even the best of us. So how can we break through them and return to that sweet spot where our ideas flow easily?

“Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective” ~ Mark Batterson

Sometimes we just need to slow down or switch off altogether, and often a change of scene can help too. Just by getting out and exploring the sights, smells and sounds we experience on our travels, we feel alive and invigorated. As Nick Skillicorn, CEO of Improvides, explains his TEDx Talk: “When the mind gets into a habit, it is actually very efficient at working on autopilot based on memory. If you provide new sensory input and make new decisions, such as going somewhere new for lunch, studies have shown you will have a short term boost to your creativity.”

Visiting new places and inspirational spaces can re-ignite our creativity and get us thinking in different ways. And this is one of the many reasons why Do What You Love has created The Little Beach Hut of Dreams; a tiny bolthole on the southern English coastline, with an uninterrupted view of the sea, where lovely people can escape to relax, dream, ponder, plan, create, wonder, and just be. And you’re invited to borrow it for a day – for free!

7 reasons why you should apply to become a Dreamer-In-Residence today:

1. There’s no electricity or wifi so it’s the perfect opportunity to switch off and enjoy a daylong digital detox.

2. You deserve time out to nurture your mind body and soul.

3. Being beside the seaside is good for your health. As well as helping you to feel relaxed and rejuvenated, the fresh sea air has purifying properties, which can help to eliminate negative emotions and promote natural healing.

4. It will remind you that life is magical and full of possibilities. Nothing beats gazing into the horizon to make you realize the amazing potential that lies within you, and that anything is possible.

5. You can reconnect with nature and be more mindful. Often we are so busy going about our daily lives that we forget to appreciate the amazing little things that make the world beautiful, like the clouds floating past in the sky, the waves crashing on the beach, or the sun setting on the horizon. But research shows that experiencing gratitude, and other positive emotions, boosts our creativity enabling us to do things like remember fine details vividly, think outside the box and link seemingly random ideas.

6. You can watch the world go by – strangers strolling gently past in no hurry to get anywhere, families eating ice-cream on the beach, couples wandering hand-in-hand along the Pier – and who knows, you might even make some new friends!

7. You’ll be inspired! The Little Beach Hut of Dreams is full of little surprises – like gorgeous books and fun little activities that will spark your creative thinking.

Everyone needs time and space to dream. We have built the space. You just need to find the time…

Apply to become a dreamer-In-Residence TODAY!

The deadline for applications is Tuesday, May 19. Find out more and apply here or click the image below.

The end is just the beginning

Posted on 2015-05-12 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by Lara Tabatznik who talks more about building 42 Acres – a dream retreat in Somerset, UK. You can find out more about Lara here, read our interview with her here and read her last blog post here.

On some level I didn’t believe this dream would come true, and on some level I knew deep down it would. It feels like this is just the beginning. My dream has been evolving for the last two years and I believe it will continue to, as I do. After all dreams are manifestations of who we, are as well as who we are becoming. So yes, it feels incredible to have planted the seeds for my dream retreat venue, and I feel like I’m only just getting started!

I think one of the most exciting things has been watching the house transform into a beautiful healing center right before my eyes. Besides the way it looks and feels, the energy of the space is completely different. There’s a sense of calm and peace and you feel it instantly, as soon as you walk through the door.

I have also loved the creative process of dreaming up ideas and visualising what 42 Acres could be. There is so much freedom in starting with a blank canvas, and the land is exactly that. The 42 Acres is just fields and fields of open land – with incredible potential, and endless possibilities. I think this will continue to be one of the best parts this venture; exploring new ideas and allowing the next stages in 42 Acres’ development to unfold easily and naturally.

Endless potential for 42 Acres to expand and grow

I see the first few months as an opportunity to pilot, to trial, to learn and to begin to figure it out. We have already opened our doors and we ran our first retreat a few weeks ago. It was a natural movement weekend, which explored the idea of humans as animals and how we evolved from primates – climbing, squatting, and hanging – to survive and thrive over millions of years.

Over the next few months we are running a whole range of events, including Raw Food workshops, Yoga, Sound Healing, a Philosophers Camp, an Indigenous Dreaming Retreat, and Social Change Workshops. It’s a varied and interesting program, and it truly excites me.

I see 42 Acres as a place that will grow organically. I see it as a center whose reputation will spread through word of mouth as a result of people’s own personal stories and experiences. I believe it will attract the people it is supposed to attract – the ones who feel drawn to come to us whether they know why or not. I see it as a place that will change lives and I hope that in years to come it will be known as a global home for transformation.

What has led me to this point? My gut. Over the years I’ve learnt that whenever I follow it I realise my dreams. My advice to anyone who has a dream is to trust your instincts, even if you don’t know where they are taking you. Go for it, reach high and you will figure all the details out along the way. The hardest part is to just start.

For more information about 42 Acres visit www.42acres.com or e-mail [email protected]

On recalibrating

Posted on 2015-05-11 at 7:49 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

A while back I talked about how we often teach what we need to hear, and this has never been more true than right now, this very minute, as we kick off our new course The Business Soul Sessions. Today has been a day for recalibration and redirection and it has been exhilarating.

Rewind to yesterday, a glorious sunny day here on the south coast of England. Mr K and I took Sienna to Stanmer Park, a wonderful green space in the grounds of a stately home, complete with cows, a stone church and a sweet little tea room. We spent two solid hours laughing as we chased her round and round the field, stopping only to make a daisy chain crown for her hair.

She has been walking with assistance for months now, but for some reason, last week, she just decided to go for it and started walking unaided, round in circles, up steps, and even breaking into a little wobbly run. It was amazing. Pure joy, and she was so proud she kept clapping herself. Now the world must look very different to her, as she can go where she wants and look at anything that catches her eye.

For us yesterday was such a fun family day, and it made us start thinking ahead to the expansion of our family in the months ahead, with baby number two on the horizon (due at the end of July).

When Sienna was born I did a really bad job of juggling work and new motherhood, to the point where I exhausted myself, and probably did neither of them properly. This time we want to do it differently. We want to spend more time with the new little one, but also with Sienna as she gets used to having a little sister. So things need to be done differently.

With that in mind Mr K and I spent today working on our business development plan for the next few years, with thoughts of our family front of mind throughout the process. It was an invigorating day of brainstorming, questioning, challenging and imagining, and we are truly excited about what lies ahead. The best part? We were recalibrating for our change in lifestyle, but by REALLY focusing on what is important to us, came away with ideas that will make our business better as a result. (I look forward to sharing some of those things with you in the coming months…)

How did we do it? Using the resources from our very own Business Soul Sessions course! We took a selection of the worksheets from the course and powered through them in a mammoth café session. We came away with an extraordinary sense of clarity, direction and new ideas. It was so exciting to use our own course to help direct the next phase of our own business, and it makes complete sense.

Because having a soulful business is all about being clear on WHY you are doing what you are doing, serving WHO you want to serve, with WHAT they need, and doing it all in a way that makes you happy and makes you profits you can be proud of. But we all change and grow over time, our motivations change, our situations change, and the world outside our door changes. So it follows that your business needs to change, adapt and evolve with it. The principles of the Business Soul Sessions played a major role in the early days of our business, and I am thrilled that the course is equally valuable at this stage, because it’s about principles and possibility, which are important wherever you are with your business. (And it wasn’t just us – here’s a fantastic case study from designer Hannah Nunn who took the Beta version of the course a while back and has seen a 53% rise in sales, combined with a complete perspective shift – it’s an inspiring tale!)

If you think it’s time to recalibrate your own business, to get re-motivated, re-inspired, and ready to create much greater impact, profits and freedom, then join us. Class has just begun but you can still squeeze in here if you are quick!

This week we’d like to challenge you to think about what areas of your life could do with recalibration. What have you been doing the same for a while now, even though something has changed – your circumstances, your friendship group, your interests or whatever. Think about it, and take a moment to reflect and recalibrate today.

Have a great week!

Beth and team

Nature’s beauty is everywhere

Posted on 2015-05-08 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Nature has so much to offer us, if we simply slow down to enjoy it. This week, just for a few moments each day, be present and appreciate the beauty of your surroundings. What makes you smile and feel grateful to be part of this amazing, awe-inspiring world? We’d love you to share your special moments in nature in the comments below…

Take a walk on the wild side

Posted on 2015-05-06 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Explore your wild side! We love nature and created this colourful word cloud to celebrate all the beautiful things it has to offer. We hope it inspires you to spend some time in the great outdoors.

When was the last time you took a break to admire nature?
How does Mother Nature inspire and motivate you… at home, at work, in your spare time, in your relationships, and in life in general?
What will your next outdoor adventure be?

You can download a high res version to print here.

On foot through India

Posted on 2015-05-05 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by adventurer, author and motivational speaker Alastair Humphreys. Find out more about Alastair here.

“I could walk to anywhere on Earth from here, if only I choose to make the time. The road is free and open and waiting.”

If you love the Beatles, at some point in your life you will have to visit Liverpool. Elvis fans have Graceland. Baseball has the Yankee Stadium. And, if you love travel and are curious about the world, then you need to experience India before you die.

I call myself an “Adventurer” and a “Travel Writer”. I had visited almost half the countries on Earth. But I had never been to India.

That needed to change.

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Need a new idea?

Posted on 2015-05-02 at 3:25 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Stuck for ideas? Click on the image below to discover our FREE resource ‘Catalyst’ to help generate hundreds more ideas for your life or business. Some might be wacky, some ridiculous, but others might just be genius…